Disney CEO Robert Iger appears to be bracing himself for a war with theater owners over his determination to eliminate the delay between the time a film is released in theaters and the time it is released on DVD. In an interview with today's (Monday) Walt Street Journal, Iger said that he had hoped that other studio chiefs would side with him, but he said, "No movie studio really wants to be first because it's like going over the hill first in battle. They don't want to take the most bullets." He said that theater chains have threatened to reduce the number of screens his movies are shown in if he attempts to narrow the gap between their theatrical and DVD release. "We'll have a conversation with theater owners to see whether we can move them more peacefully," he told the Journal. "But I think in the end, it's going to have to be more by force than through negotiation or diplomacy." Iger indicated that he recently proposed to the theater owners that they sell Chicken Little DVDs in their lobbies and share the profits from the sales. "But there's so much fear now about change that no one wants to sit down and have a frank discussion." In the same interview, Iger also indicated that Disney plans a substantial cutback in its feature output in the coming year, remarking, "I don't think the talent pool has expanded enough to feed the number of movies being made. ... At Miramax, we're using the opportunity of ending the relationship with Harvey and Bob Weinstein to cut back our investment in that business by hundreds of millions of dollars."Source:MovieWeb

Iger indicated that he recently proposed to the theater owners that they sell Chicken Little DVDs in their lobbies and share the profits from the sales.That's been my dream for a long time. After every cool movie I've always wanted to buy it on DVD right away. That would cut down on piracy big time.

Last edited by TheButcher on Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I like what he is saying in his message for sure. Mark Cuban has been talking about doing something like this for a while now but hasn't done it. It will be interesting to see a giant like Disney take the first step.

Also I'm curious to see which movie studio makes their films available via iTunes Music Store first.

About time. Its a good step, but will this not effect the quality of the initial DVD's we get? Its in their best interest as when the special editions come out, the hardcore will want to own them. But, at the sametime will this little niche of fine extras then come tumbling down as the majority of film watchers don't care too much about extras beyond little menu games? The studio's will start looking at profit margins and how extra's productions cost them that little extra dollar.

I hope filmmakers push in this respect, and get as much extraneous material out as possible we'll see.

In China, as you know, piracy is rife. Picking up a pirate dvd here is like buying a newspaper but even more widespread. The studio's seem to release VCD versions of the films as a counter effort at a films launch, a fair tradeoff, but the quality takes a hit.

For me, the key is simply decent cinema venues, good sound, big screen. Its a rollercoaster ride, a friday night thing, something more than home cinema, that no matter how good it is currently can compete with. There is a real sense of community in a theatre, so many people seeing a film and interpreting it in their own way. In China the only thing that is costing studios money is the theatre charging extortionate prices for entry, a lower price would make it available to all, whether it be people just wanting to keep warm or enjoy a flick. Whatever. It means more money in the long run and hopefully many more theatres showing a more diverse range of films. Thats my hope.

With all this recent technological advancements, am I the only one who feels that people are withdrawing themselves from society itself until there is none left, as no one seems to have the need to leave their homes anymore, for anything.

All things online, all things delivered to your door, now no more going to the cinema.

What next? Hanging out with friends by chatting to them on the computer all day?

Soon the zone shall pioneer the technology to project ourselves in cinnycyberspace heaven forever, where the world is no longer enough and we serve no-one but ourselves, unless the solar powered robotic shit cleaners and feeders fuck up, then its gonna be hell to find a maintanence guy. Quids in! Are we nearly there yet?

No man, I'm nearly there to reach the Canadian border, where I'm gonna cross and get away from all this technological madness and get back to nature, where I'll live with the bears and take shits in the woods.

I think the movie folks believe that the extended DVD versions will be the new consistent recurring revenue generator. So if they combine the theatrical/dvd release (no extras), they'll install the bigger better DVD in the 6 month after slot.

I think it is good for everyone if they do that.

Also with the new digital cinemas, I imagine that the amount of theatrical content will increase greatly.

Except for film geeks like us, who would HAVE to own a kick ass movie right after seeing it and then would HAVE to own the Super Extended Edition six months later.

The nice thing though would be that the title "Special Edition" would actually be reserved for a second, "Special" release instead of this bullshit where any old movie gets a "Special Edition" on their initial release.

docfalken wrote:I think the movie folks believe that the extended DVD versions will be the new consistent recurring revenue generator. So if they combine the theatrical/dvd release (no extras), they'll install the bigger better DVD in the 6 month after slot.

I think it is good for everyone if they do that.

Also with the new digital cinemas, I imagine that the amount of theatrical content will increase greatly.

Yeah, I'd love to agree with you Doc, but I have my doubts about the majority of folks wanting much more than the film. I can see it starting as a revenue source with the big bad mean actual editions and then falling sales leading to big marketing pushes for deluxe sets which again not many people will buy. Which will either force up prices or will be a pretty niche market. Then again, it might make room for smaller subsiduary companies to put theses out. Lets hope. Who knows whats gonna happen with the likes of Blu Ray etc.

Marc Graser wrote:Walt Disney Co. chief Bob Iger has been preaching the power of franchises for the Mouse House for years. On Thursday, he and other Disney execs spent the day outlining to investors -- with a slew of facts and figures -- how the focus on cross-platform properties like "Toy Story," "Cars" and its newly acquired Marvel characters will bolster the Mouse House's bottom line for years to come.

"Over the last five years, we created a more managed approach to how we deal with franchises," Iger said during the Mouse's daylong investor confab in Anaheim. "Now we have the ability to view the full potential of a franchise."

This year, studio will launch the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" entry; "Cars 2"; a new "Winnie the Pooh" pic; and Marvel's "Thor" and "Captain America." "The Avengers" follows next year.

"Franchises drive higher returns for the company," said Jay Rasulo, Disney's senior exec VP and chief financial officer. Rasulo noted that while only 40% of the studio's feature production dollars were spent to make franchise films last year, the results generated 60% of its overall revenue. This year, 80% of its production spending will be devoted to franchise features.

As an example, Rasulo compared the earnings of "Alice in Wonderland," a nonfranchise film, to those of Pixar's "Toy Story 3."

While the live-action "Alice" has raked in more than $1.6 billion since its release in March, most of that was collected at the B.O., since the Tim Burton pic offered little opportunity for consumer products. Licensed merchandise homevideo and TV sales made $400 million.

"Toy Story 3," on the other hand, earned more than $1 billion at the B.O., plus $650 million on homevideo, $250 million from books, $220 million from videogames and $7.3 billion in other merchandise sales, while launching park rides and cruise ship shows, turning it into a $10 billion property.

Rasulo stressed the importance to the Mouse House of buying Pixar in 2006, saying the $6.4 billion acquisition occurred when "our Disney animated film business was actually destroying value" because of the pics' underwhelming performance at the B.O. and elsewhere.

"Animation must be successful since the IP we create there is propagated throughout the whole Disney ecosystem," Rasulo said.

This summer, "Cars 2" is expected to rev up similar coin at the B.O. and at retail.

The first "Cars" film, released in 2006, continues to be a major licensing powerhouse, earning $240 million in 2010 from toy and other merchandise sales. That's impressive considering there hasn't been a new film or direct-to-vid release and the brand had to compete against "Toy Story 3" for attention.

"Every movie merchandise program experiences a steep decline after the DVD release, but 'Cars' has grown," said Andy Mooney, chairman of Disney Consumer Products Worldwide.

Last year, Disney had five of the six top franchises, based on merchandise sales, with Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh leading theDisney Princess line, "Toy Story" and "Cars."

This year, Disney wants to see "Cars" to surpass "Toy Story 3" and "Star Wars" in merchandise sales. What should help: deals like the one in which Toys R Us will get 70 exclusive toys to promote in stores.

A redesign of the Disney Stores should help, too. The outlets are now aimed at kids under 12, with displays that promote established franchises and hype new properties. Traffic is already up 20% at those outlets, helping sales increase 25%.

In addition to the opening of "Cars Land" at the Disney's California Adventure theme park in Anaheim next summer, Disney plans to spin off "Cars" first with "Planes," which will feature a cast of new airborne characters.

That direct-to-homevid toon will be followed by projects built around other "stuff that kids absolutely love," said Rich Ross, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. "Planes" takes flight on Blu-ray and DVD in spring 2013.

Project is produced by DisneyToon Studios, a division of Walt Disney Animation Studios that produced the successful line of "Tinker Bell" direct-to-vid pics.

Studio was built to get its own franchises off the ground, similar what Pixar's sister studio in Vancouver did with the "Cars Toon" series of shorts; the 10th installment is in production.

"Toy Story" is also getting its own "Cars Toons"-like shorts. First is "Toy Story Hawaiian Vacation," to bow in front of "Cars 2." A second will unspool in front of the upcoming "Muppets" movie.

ABC execs were also on hand for the confab, with new ABC Entertainment chief Paul Lee talking up the potential for TV skeins based on Marvel's superheroes. ABC has several projects in the works with high-profile creative auspices, including dramas "The Incredible Hulk," with Guillermo del Toro, and "AKA: Jessica Jones" with "Twilight" scribe Melissa Rosenberg.

"On cable you can hyper-target an audience," said Lee, who moved to the Alphabet from ABC Family. "On ABC the target is the entire viewing population. Our job is to make big event programming that invites in all of the viewing audience. Marvel's properties are going to be fantastic for that."

Over at the Disney Channel, the cabler is breathing new life into "High School Musical" by prepping to launch spinoff "Madison High" with a new cast. It's also working with the studio to create a feature based on Disney XD's hit toon "Phineas and Ferb" that will blend live action and animation.

The interactive division is also set to focus on building a multi-platform approach to games that revolve around just four to six core franchises, including Marvel heroes and "Toy Story," as its new exec team looks to make the group profitable by 2013.

New Disney games co-prexy John Pleasants said the group missed an opportunity with products tied to the December release of "Tron: Legacy." "We did a lot of things well but, boy, can we do things better," he said.

All of this should prove financially lucrative as Disney focuses on expanding in emerging markets like China, India, Russia and Latin America and targets the growing middle classes there.

It plans to build a new park in Shanghai and is currently expanding Hong Kong Disneyland, with one land devoted to "Toy Story."

"Expansion outside the United States is the most important growth opportunity," said Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chief Tom Staggs. Company is especially interested in China, where leisure travel spending is expected to top $200 billion by 2015.

By 2030, there will be 600 million children in China. "The opportunity to reach them with Disney-branded content is huge," Iger said.

Disney is looking to reunite Tom Hanks and Tim Allen not for "Toy Story 4," but an adaptation of the company's "Jungle Cruise" theme park ride.

Project has long been in development at Mandeville, the shingle run by producers David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, who are currently behind the next Muppet movie for Disney. They also produced "The Fighter."

Studio has tapped Robert S.H. Schulman ("Shrek" and "Jungle Book 2") to pen the latest script for the project.

Getting "Jungle Cruise" closer to launch comes as Disney is readying to release its latest theme park ride film "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" this summer, while it's working with Guillermo del Toro on a "Haunted Mansion" thriller and Jon Favreau on "Magic Kingdom," a family adventure pic set inside the Mouse House's entire park. A film based on "Tomorrowland" has also been considered.

Borys Kit wrote: Karl Gajdusek, the scribe who wrote the upcoming Nicole Kidman-Nicolas Cage thriller Trespass, has been tapped for rewrite duties on Disney's Joseph Kosinski project Horizons, formerly known as Oblivion.

Kosinski, the helmer behind Tron Legacy, came up with the concept for Horizons, a sci-fi actionner centering on a soldier assigned to patrol a desolate planet who meets a mysterious traveler, teaming up with Radical Pictures, the movie arm of graphic novel house Radical Publishing. Late last summer, the project was picked up by Disney, who quickly set William Monahan, the Oscar-winning scribe behind The Departed and Kingdom of Heaven, to write a draft.

Kosinski, Barry Levine, and Jeffrey Silver are producing the pic, which is a high priority as the studio.

Gajdusek, repped by Verve and Benderspink, worked on Warner Bros.' Liam Neeson thriller Unknown and is writing Cradle Will Fall, a thriller Unique Pictures is producing for Screen Gems.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and scriptwriter Michael Chabon may get the keys to Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Kingdom is the studio’s family adventure project set in its flagship theme park (and maybe even connect to other parks worldwide) that is being directed by Jon Favreau.

Ron Moore, who revived the recent Battlestar Galactica TV series, wrote the initial draft but a new direction, as well as a new writer, were sought when Favreau came on board. Chabon has a good chance at being that writer.

Chabon and Favreau have talked about the project and a potential team-up on Kingdom. No offer has been made and obviously meetings with Disney execs would need to take place.

Chabon already has an in with Disney. The author worked on the studio’s high priority Snow White project titled Snow and the Seven as well as its upcoming adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs book series John Carter of Mars. He is also penning on the book for Broadway-bound Dumbo musical.

UTA-repped Chabon is best known for his novels such as Wonder Boys and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Hollywood-wise, he’s worked on Spider-Man 2 and just set up a pilot, with his wife Ayelet Waldmen centering around magicians and con men combating Nazis titled Hobgoblin at HBO.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and scriptwriter Michael Chabon may get the keys to Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Kingdom is the studio’s family adventure project set in its flagship theme park (and maybe even connect to other parks worldwide) that is being directed by Jon Favreau.

Ron Moore, who revived the recent Battlestar Galactica TV series, wrote the initial draft but a new direction, as well as a new writer, were sought when Favreau came on board. Chabon has a good chance at being that writer.

Chabon and Favreau have talked about the project and a potential team-up on Kingdom. No offer has been made and obviously meetings with Disney execs would need to take place.

Chabon already has an in with Disney. The author worked on the studio’s high priority Snow White project titled Snow and the Seven as well as its upcoming adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs book series John Carter of Mars. He is also penning on the book for Broadway-bound Dumbo musical.

UTA-repped Chabon is best known for his novels such as Wonder Boys and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Hollywood-wise, he’s worked on Spider-Man 2 and just set up a pilot, with his wife Ayelet Waldmen centering around magicians and con men combating Nazis titled Hobgoblin at HBO.

Chabon is seriously starting to do the rounds, and whilst I salivate more about the proposed Coen brothers film of his "The Yiddish Policemans Union", I can't deny that a Favreau lead project might be a whole lotta fun, although in truth, the whole concept of this flick sounds rather navel gazing...

Disney doesn't release Real Steel until Oct. 7, but already DreamWorks is getting the machinery moving on a sequel to the Shawn Levy-directed drama that stars Hugh Jackman. I'm told the studio has commissioned John Gatins, who scripted the first film, to start on the second installment. It's unusual to see that occur so early, but I can recall it happening when Warner Bros commissioned a Hangover sequel after early tests showed the movie was going to be a big hit. Development on the sequel's just getting under way, and deals will have to be made with Jackman and Levy. Gatins is repped by UTA.

DreamWorks has gotten strong response to internal screenings of the film, and at a CinemaCon presentation of footage in Las Vegas. The film is a Rocky-meets-Transformers tale of a prize fighter whose pugilistic skills are rendered obsolete when human boxers are replaced by robots. The fighter (Jackman) becomes a boxing promoter and finds a discarded robot that wins and wins. The fighter also discovers he has a 13-year old son, who comes along for the ride as the robot heads toward the top against scary competition. The film is based on a short story by Richard Matheson (who, aside from writing the novel I Am Legend, also scripted DreamWorks partner and Real Steel exec producer Steven Spielberg's directing debut Duel). Real Steel is produced by Angry Films' Swell Dude and Susan Montford and Levy, with Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey exec producing.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides doesn't hit U.S. theaters until May 20. But screenwriter Terry Rossio has just turned in his script for a planned fifth installment in Disney's most lucrative film franchise.

Rossio tells THR that the still-untitled script -- his first penned without Ted Elliot, who collaborated on the first four Pirates scripts -- was delivered to Disney this past weekend. It's the initial step in putting together the key creative pieces for another Pirates film. Disney would like another installment, given the $3 billion in worldwide grosses for the first three films and the likely huge returns for the fourth movie, the first to be released in 3D.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said he's in to make a fifth Pirates. And sources say Disney has made overtures to Rob Marshall, who took over directing duties on Pirates 4 from Gore Verbinski, who helmed the first three pictures, to return for another go-round (though no deal is in place for Marshall).

But they key question mark is star Johnny Depp. Will he sign on for a fifth installment in the franchise?

In an interview published in the current issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine, Depp says he hasn't seen the new Rossio screenplay but he isn't opposed to reprising his iconic Jack Sparrow character yet again.

"It boils down to story, script and filmmaker," Depp tells THR. But the actor isn't clamoring to jump back into the puffy shirt until a little time has passed after Pirates 4. He didn't relish the brutal schedule that saw him making Pirates 2 and Pirates 3 back-to-back in order to meet studio-mandated release dates in summer 2006 and 2007, respectively.

"It's not something where I would say, 'Let's shoot it next month to get it out by Christmas 2012,'" he says. "We should hold off for a bit. They should be special, just like they are special to me."

Depp's full interview, as well as the complete backstory on the making of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, are available in THR's special Cannes Film Festival issue, on newsstands now.

DAVID LIEBERMAN wrote:UPDATE, 4:15 PM: How costly a mistake was Mars Needs Moms? Disney says the studio lost about $70 million in release costs and in an impairment charge for a film it now calls "very disappointing." Still, CEO Bob Iger tried -- not always successfully -- to avoid sounding sour today as analysts probed him about quarterly results that seemed to have befuddled many of them. Iger talked up the prospects for Disney's upcoming sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean and Cars. He also banged the drum for The Avengers, the Marvel action film due next year. Now that Disney has negotiated an early exit from Marvel's distribution deal with Paramount, Iger says the movie will be the "first really big initiative" from Disney's acquisition of Marvel with the potential to "turn into a true franchise." He adds that Marvel is developing a block of shows for Disney XD, as well as individual programs for ABC and ABC Family. Also on the television side, Iger says the coming upfront ad market will "be a strong one" -- which is far more vague than CBS chief Les Moonves' projection of "solid-double digit increases" for his network. Iger acknowledged that the last few years were "not as great" for ABC as they were during the heyday of its hits including Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. But while he says that ABC has made "no decisions yet" about the primetime shows it will pick up for this fall, Iger adds that he's "encouraged" by the pilots he has seen including "some really strong shows" from ABC itself. He says that ESPN will do just fine if the NFL season is scuttled by a contract dispute between team owners and players. "There'll be a mad dash for male demos," he says. Iger seemed irked, though, by a question regarding whether ESPN's ad sales would be sufficient to justify a bid for TV rights to the Olympics. ESPN needs to be "a must-have product," he said. The network hopes to persuade cable and satellite operators to pay higher fees for Olympic programming. If that falls short, Iger says, then ESPN executives must be "mindful of their margins."

Iger provided a little more clarity about his digital media plans. Disney will sell shows to Netflix and other Web-streaming services even though it owns equity in Hulu. "We never believed Hulu would end up in an exclusive position," he says. In video games, he says Disney took a five-month hiatus to refocus itself on higher quality games including some that will carry the Disney, ESPN and Marvel brands. He's hoping the unit will break even in 2013. Now the company's also preparing a major redesign of Disney.com to make it easier to navigate.

At Disney's theme parks, Iger says he sees promising signs after a quarter in which the company had to temporarily close Tokyo Disney following Japan's earthquake and tsunami. Consumers seem to be accepting the double-digit price increases at Disney hotels which shows that "the discounting we had to implement (in the depths of the recession) is something of the past."

PREVIOUS, 1:42 PM: The terrible box office performance of Mars Needs Moms contributed to a decline in Disney's net profits, which also fell short of analyst expectations. The company reported net income of $942 million in the quarter that ended in March, down 1% vs. the same period last year, on revenues of $9.1 billion, up 6%. The profit figure, at 49 cents a share, contrasts with the 56 cent average forecast from analysts who track the company. Operating profits fell 65% to $77 million at the Studio Entertainment unit, which benefited last year from the success of Alice In Wonderland. Disney's theme parks also reported a decline in profits, a 3% drop to $145 million, as the company absorbed the costs for its new Disney Dream cruise ship and grappled with rising fuel prices. But the thawing ad market helped profits at the Media Networks to rise 17% to $1.5 billion. Consumer product earnings also improved 7% to $142 million with strong sales of merchandise related to Tangled and Toy Story.

There'll be more later, after the company holds its quarterly conference call with analysts.

MIKE FLEMING wrote:In its latest attempt to hatch a large-scale film that can play to a family audience, Disney has made a seven-figure deal with screenwriter and Lost exec producer Damon Lindelof to write and produce an original large-scale science fiction feature film. Other than the fact that the project has a working title of 1952, I couldn't pry plot details out of anybody. I'm not sure if the title connotes a period the film is set in, or if it is a Lost reference. I've also heard that this project isn't just being conceived for movies only, but that it has multiple platform aspirations.

The project came out of a series of meetings that Lindelof had with Disney's production president Sean Bailey and senior exec Brigham Taylor, and it's the first film that Lindelof is producing from the ground up. Since ending the run of Lost and serving as one of the show's architects all the way through, Lindelof has been on fire as a screenwriter. He teamed with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to script the Jon Favreau-directed Cowboys & Aliens. Lindelof came aboard to rewrite Ridley Scott's 3D Alien prequel and injected enough new ideas into the Prometheus script for Fox and Scott to deem the film an original. Lindelof is right now working with Kurtzman and Orci to pull together a Star Trek sequel that can be ready to begin production later this year or early next. I've reported my skepticism that Abrams would ever be able to move from launching Super 8 and jump into a Star Trek sequel that will make its summer 2012 release date, because the scribes need Abrams to give a thumbs up to the 70-page story outline they've written, and turn that into a script. Orci noted this in a Twitter message sent as he was heading to watch Super 8: @TrekMovie since JJ has seen super 8, maybe I can get him to read trek during the movie;). Lindelof will be engaged in that for a while, and he will start the Disney project after that. Lindelof's deal was made by CAA.

Drew McWeeny wrote:Damon Lindelof, you are no longer the Padawan. Obviously, you've now graduated to full-blown Mystery Box Jedi.

Who knows what "1952" is? Well, Disney executives know, but that's it. Other than them, Damon Lindelof isn't telling anyone what to expect from what is described as "an original sci-fi family adventure film."

Fine. I don't need to know a logline to know I'm interested. Lindelof has been a busy, busy man since "Lost" went off the air a year ago, and whatever he's doing, I'm interested. I want to see what he cooks up because I just plain like the way he thinks. I remain a "Lost" fan after the ending of the show, and no matter what I thought of individual choices made along the way, that was a great ride overall, and I begrudge the creators of the show nothing. They entertained me for six years. Well-played. That's all I asked.

Lately, Lindelof has been Captain Collaboration, which makes sense coming out of television. That teaches you a different creative process than most feature work does, where you're focused on individual goals for the most part. Working with Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, Lindelof is currently hard at work on "Star Trek 2," and the trio is also responsible for this summer's "Cowboys & Aliens."

The thing I'm most interested in with Lindelof's name on it, though, is "Prometheus," that quasi-"Alien" movie that Ridley Scott's directing at the moment. Whatever it is, it sounds like Lindelof had a great experience on it, and I genuinely hope it reinvents that universe on film in a way that makes me care about it again. They've burned down a lot of goodwill on the "Alien" films, and it's going to take some smart, bold choices to make me want to spend more time in that world.

Whatever "1952" ends up being, I look forward to the gradual reveal, and I'm curious to see if he ends up directing at all, or if that's even something he's interested in. Right now, he's just set as a writer/producer, and who knows? Maybe that's the exact role he wants. Whatever the case, I would imagine Disney's watching this weekend's grosses on "Super 8" closely, and I hope this one comes together quickly.

Now how much you wanna bet January Jones ends up starring in it? Hehehehe...

Borys Kit wrote:Michael Chabon has been tapped to write Magic Kingdom, Disney’s family adventure project that is being directed by Jon Favreau.

Heat Vision first reported the author's possible involvement in March, when the Pulitzer Prize-winning author initially talked with Favreau about it but before any meetings with Disney had taken place.

Since then, deal-making quietly got under way and an agreement closed this week.

Chabon will now begin tackling a story whose details are being kept under wraps but is set in Disney’s flagship theme park and may even be connected to other parks worldwide.

Ron Moore, who revived the recent Battlestar Galactica TV series, wrote the initial draft but Kingdom re-routed into a different direction when Favreau came on board.

Strike Entertainment is producing Magic Kingdom.

Chabon is a big Disney aficionado and spent time at the Anaheim park with Favreau. He worked on the studio’s high-priority Snow White project titled The Order of the Seven as well as its upcoming adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs book series John Carter of Mars. He is also penning the book for the Broadway-bound Dumbo musical.

In non-Disney matters, Chabon and his wife, author Ayelet Waldman, are developing an HBO pilot titled Hobgoblin, which Darren Aronofsky will direct.

Borys Kit wrote:Disney is developing an adventure movie project inspired by the Matterhorn ride and has set Jason Dean Hall to pen the script. Justin Springer (Tron Legacy, Prom) is producing the project, which has a working title of The Hill.

The Matterhorn, also known as the Matterhorn Bobsleds, is part of Disneyland’s Fantasyland section. Opened June 1959, the elaborate ride was inspired by Walt Disney's desire for a toboggan-themed roller coaster as well as thoughts he had after an extended trip to Switzerland, the site of the famed mountain. The ride, a centerpiece of the park, was refurbished in 1978, with one of the upgrades being the addition of three automatronic Abominable Snowmen (aka Yetis) who growl at riders.

The idea behind The Hill is to do a thrilling, fast-paced movie centering on five young adventure seekers who, for mysterious reasons, are called to the top of the mountain and encounter a Yetis on the journey down.

Adapting Disney rides into film franchises is a priority for the company. Pirates of the Caribbean is the most successful of the rides-turned-movies, generating $3.7 billion worldwide over four films. A movie was made out of the Haunted Mansion, and another is being developed with Guillermo del Toro producing. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a Disney film, then a theme park ride, and is now being rebooted as a David Fincher directing vehicle. The ultimate theme park movie might be Disney's Magic Kingdom, which is set entirely in the park. That project is being developed by writer Michael Chabon and director Jon Favreau.

Hall is best known for writing the 2009 indie drama Spread, starring Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche. But he has worked on action-oriented projects that are in various development stages, notably Robin Hood 2058, set up at Warners, Grand Theft Auto, and sci-fi actioner Blacklight.

"The prospect of [a sequel] is very tantalizing and fascinating," Branagh diplomatically told MTV News. "I loved working with this group of actors and had a fantastic experience working with everyone in the Marvel family."

At the time, Branagh mentioned the fact that getting a sequel off the ground would require major box-office success and support from the fans — which, with a $437 million worldwide gross, the fans and money talked.

Branagh also added that whether or not he was directing future installments, he was still a fan of the world of the Marvel Thunder God.

"When I first got involved with this, I was so thrilled. The first big, really exciting moment when I started really going through the comic books was all the descriptions of powers," he explained. "I loved it, amazing. People's body weights, how tall they were, what they could do, all of that kind of stuff. There's a vast amount of that from the Thor universe that I'd like to see."

Oliver Lyttelton wrote:So, Marvel are done with Kenneth Branagh, or possibly Kenneth Branagh is done with Marvel: if you missed it earlier, “Thor 2” has been officially announced for a July 26, 2013 release date, with star Chris Hemsworth returning (which people seem to think is news: like all the superhero leads, the Australian actor signed an expansive multi-film contract that makes him Marvel’s bitch for the next decade or so), but Branagh not sitting in the director’s chair, although he may stay on a producing role of some kind.

It’s the second time in six months Marvel have had to find a new helmer for one of their characters: Jon Favreau bailed on “Iron Man 3” after falling out with the studio on the second film, eventually being replaced by Shane Black. As usual when a vacancy arises for a juicy gig, our thoughts turn to the poor out-of-work directors who might be able to fill that position.

It’s important to say upfront that anyone hoping for a fanboy-pleasing option like Black or Joss Whedon, or even a leftfield one like Branagh, is likely to be disappointed. The model here is, say, Louis Leterrier on “The Incredible Hulk” or Jonathan Liebesman on “Clash of the Titans 2”—rising directors with action and effects cred who aren’t going to cost the earth, and aren’t going to rock the ship. With some likely candidates already tied to late 2012 or early 2013 releases—Len Wiseman, Joseph Kosinski, McG, Justin Lin, Robert Schwentke—we’ve picked five names who could (note, not should) end up with the gig.

Neil MarshallWhy He Could Do It: We might not have liked the British director’s last few films, but he’s proven his action chops before, and most recently with a bit of swords-and-sorcery in “Centurion.” He’s been tipped to step up to the tentpole world for a while now, being linked to films like “Predators,” “Dune” and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and, while he’s got at least three projects circulating—3D horror “Burst,” cannibal chiller “Underground” and a self-penned WW2 alien invasion flick—none seem to be close to production. He’s likely to be cheap, and relatively pliable, and he’s a fanboy favorite—we’ve already seen his name mentioned on Twitter more than once.

Why He Might Not: Marshall doesn’t exactly have the theatre training to make stage veterans like Anthony Hopkins and Tom Hiddleston feel at home in the same way as Branagh did. He’s primarily been a horror/gore guy so far, and to push a PG-13 superhero flick on him won’t necessarily play to his strengths (although the same could have been said about Sam Raimi before “Spider-Man”). He’d likely be a popular choice with the geek crowd, but a rather dispiriting one for us.

Gavin O’ConnorWhy He Could Do It:Gavin O’Whonow? The 47-year-old New York-born director made his debut a decade ago with the indie flick “Tumbleweeds,” landing lead Janet McTeer an Oscar nomination, and since then he’s had one big hit, and one big flop: the former the Kurt Russell hockey picture “Miracle,” the latter the Edward Norton/Colin Farrell cop thriller “Pride & Glory.” But O’Connor’s firmly on the up at present: his MMA fighting flick “Warrior,” with Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, has been picking up great buzz since it started screening in the spring, with some even talking about Oscar as a possibility (we’re yet to be convinced, but still…) It’s undoubtedly the buzz from that film that landed him on the shortlist for “The Wolverine,” even if James Mangold bagged the gig. But he’s got action cred, and enough decent performances on his CV to not make us concerned that the actors would ride roughshod over him. There’s a certain sibling rivalry-theme to his career to date that would fit in well for a “Thor” sequel, assuming Loki’s back again.

Why He Might Not: Again: Gavin O’Whonow? Even we have to look him up every time his name crops up in a story and, if “Warrior” tanks, which it could well do, it’s likely to stay that way, unless he books something first. He’s certainly not worked on something of this scale before, and hasn’t really shown a particular love for sci-fi/comic book fare. His work’s also been fairly sombre, and considering the thing that mainly carried the first “Thor” along was its sense of humor, that’s a concern.

Pierre MorelWhy He Could Do It: The French helmer, a former cinematographer, had a cult action success with his first time at bat, with “District 13,” and then followed it up with a global success, the Liam Neeson vehicle “Taken.” He’s already been deemed worthy of tentpoles before, having been hired for “Dune,” and considered for “Ouija,” so he’s clearly been able to impress studio execs in the past. And working with Neeson suggests he’s won’t be walked over by a heavyweight like Hopkins.

Why He Might Not: For one, he’s attached to the Sam Raimi-produced sci-fi flick “Earth Defense Force,” although there’s been no public movement on that since he signed on. Otherwise, studios seem to have cooled on Morel somewhat since his “Taken” follow-up “From Paris With Love” tanked—he departed “Dune” not long after, and eventually lost out on “Ouija” in favor of McG. A year ago he would have been in the top of this list, but he’s slipped a bit in the intervening time.

Noam MurroWhy He Could Do It: Having your sole feature credit to date being the underwhelming Dennis Quaid/Ellen Page semi-indie “Smart People” doesn’t necessarily bode well for being hired for a project like this. Except that Murro spent the intervening time doing what he did before, shooting award-winning commercials, most notably for the “Halo” series of videogames and, like so many ad helmers, it’s helped his big-budget cred: he was hand-picked by Bruce Willis and attached to “Die Hard 5” back in February. Unless that goes any time soon, which looks unlikely, he’s the kind of visual-friendly name that would work for a film like “Thor 2,” and, again, won’t break the bank.

Why He Might Not: Well, only a few days ago it was reported that Murro was in the running to direct “300” prequel “300: Battle Of Artemisia.” We suspect that rival Jaume Collet-Serra will land that gig, but if he doesn’t, Murro obviously wouldn’t be able to make a July 2013 release for “Thor” (although, by the same token, it would free up Collet-Serra, who’s been on a couple of shortlists this year already). And there’s still “Die Hard 5” looming as well. He’s not a name that would make the fanboys particularly happy, in the way that Joss Whedon did on “The Avengers,” although we’re sure they’ll get over it.

Tommy WirkolaWhy He Could Do It: The Norwegian helmer made something of a splash with his Nazi-zombie flick “Dead Snow,” and he’s followed it up not just with another Norse tale, “Kurt Josel Wagle And The Legend of the Fjord Witch,” but also a Hollywood debut, “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,” with Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, and prouduced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. It’s the perfect kind of stop-gap to precede a big superhero flick, showing he can work in the system, and with effects. The tone doesn’t seem to be a world away from “Thor,” he’s got a better sense of humor than most names on the list, and his Scandinavian heritage could be seen as giving him a boost as well.

Why He Might Not: For one, ‘Hansel & Gretel’ could turn out to be terrible, or a flop, or both—“Dead Snow” wasn’t all that hot, if we’re honest. Like Marshall, he’s from more of a horror background, so “Thor” might not be quite the right fit. Furthermore, “Hansel & Gretel” isn’t due out til next March, giving him 16 months to turn around the Marvel film: not an impossibility, as Matthew Vaughn showed on “X-Men: First Class,” but perhaps a factor.

Other Contenders:There’s two debut directors who would certainly be on this list were it not for scheduling conflicts: Rupert Sanders, who’s working with Hemsworth on “Snow White and the Huntsman,” and Carl Erik Rinsch, who’s currently helming “47 Ronin” with Keanu Reeves (and who could play “Thor” if Hemsworth ever hung up the hammer). Both films look to be firmly within the “Thor” wheelhouse, but ‘Snow White’ isn’t out til June 2012, and ‘Ronin’ til November of the same year, which puts them both out. “Battle Los Angeles” helmer Jonathan Liebesman could be a candidate, but he’ll be coming straight off someone else’s sequel, “Clash of the Titans 2,” so might not be keen, while Juan Carlos Fresnadillo came to mind, but it looks like he’ll be busy with “The Crow.”

There are vaguely A-list names who might be plausible, people like Alex Proyas, Chris Weitz, George Miller, Mike Newell, Tony Scott, Stephen Sommers, Wolfgang Petersen and Doug Liman, but we suspect Marvel will want to go cheaper than that lot; a name like D.J. Caruso, Scott Stewart, Sylvain White or Breck Eisner would make more sense, even if the thought is fairly depressing.

Jose Padilha and Antoine Fuqua were both on the shortlist for “The Wolverine,” and might find their way in here, while we’re sure that fans would like the idea of Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish or Duncan Jones, but it’s never going to happen. Similarly, names like Gareth Edwards or Daniel Espinosa are at about the right point in their career arc, but don’t seem like they’d be interested, particularly.

So that leaves a handful of other plausible candidates. André Øvredal, director of “Troll Hunter,” is a possibility along the lines of Wirkola, although he’s developing a pair of projects with Chris Columbus. Paul W.S. Anderson hasn’t worked on a film of such high profile for a long time, but could be considered here, although he’s meant to shoot “Pompeii” next year. Christopher Smith is sort of the thinking man’s Neil Marshall, but we think it’s too big a leap for him from “Black Death” to this, and the same probably goes for “Ironclad” helmer Jonathan English. Hemsworth worked with Dan Bradley on “Red Dawn,” but that film’s time in MGM limbo might make the veteran second-unit director seem like tainted goods; someone like “V For Vendetta” helmer James McTeigue, who’s just finishing up “The Raven,” is more likely. And finally, two possible names from abroad with early 2012 releasese that might be done in time for them to move on to “Thor 2”—- Asger Leth, who’s directing Sam Worthington in “Man on a Ledge,” and Baltasar Kormakur, who’s working on “Contraband” with Mark Wahlberg.

As Deadline told you yesterday, Marvel Studios needs a director for Thor 2 with Kenneth Branagh departing, but they have got a writer. Marvel has set Don Payne, one of the credited scribes on the first film, to script the sequel. Payne rewrote Lobo for Warner Bros, and was one of the writers on Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer. His superhero experience started with My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Payne's also co-executive producer on The Simpsons, so there might be a laugh or two in between intergalactic mayhem. Chris Hemsworth is reprising his role as the hammer-swinging hero. The film will be released July 26, 2013 by Disney. Payne's repped by The Rothman Brecher Agency.

Disney has announced the arena schedule for the D23 Expo which includes a presentation by Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar and Marvel Studios, the latter presumably for The Avengers:

The D23 Expo 2011 is proud to announce the Arena schedule for The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. From August 19 – 21, Expo guests will have exclusive access to presentations from The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, Disney Channel and Marvel Comics – plus they will be able to experience the 2011 Disney Legends Ceremony. In addition to the spotlight arena presentations, this year's Expo will feature screenings, celebrity panels and autograph signings, eye-popping pavilions, exclusive insights into TV shows, theme parks, animation, Disney history and more, to be announced in the coming weeks. Arena presentations will include:

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts – Join Tom Staggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, as he gives D23 guests a special behind-the-scenes glimpse into some of the exciting projects currently underway at Disney's parks and resorts around the world.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The Walt Disney Studios – A fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse at the exciting roster of projects on the horizon at The Walt Disney Studios. From exclusive video clips and live performances to filmmaker discussions and star appearances, this session will be hosted by Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios; Sean Bailey, President of Production, The Walt Disney Studios; John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; and Kevin Feige, President of Production, Marvel Studios.

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

The Lion King 3D Exclusive D23 Screening – Disney fans will have access to an exclusive advance screening of The Lion King in Disney Digital 3D™, ahead of the film's highly anticipated theatrical and home entertainment releases. "The Circle of Life" takes on a new dimension as Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa grace the screen once again, this time in breathtaking 3D.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Marvel Comics – An exclusive and unprecedented experience that will take you through the evolution of Marvel from its first comic book in 1939 to its current position as one of the most important creative forces in the world. During this presentation, which will include interactive Q&A segments, you will not only get an inside glimpse of the history of Marvel and its iconic Super Heroes but also discover why Marvel truly is the House of Ideas. This session will be hosted by Joe Quesada, Marvel's Chief Creative Officer and one of the most respected and sought after writers and artists in the entertainment industry.

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Disney Channel – Fans are invited to experience the excitement of a spectacular live performance, featuring stars of Disney Channel's hit series Shake It Up. From meeting the cast of television's first dance-driven sitcom and learning moves from a Disney Channel dance master to a special panel, autograph session and more, this unforgettable experience awaits Disney fans of all ages.

These presentations add to the already robust schedule of experiences, presentations and pavilions that will make up the D23 Expo 2011, including the Ultimate Disney Trivia Tournament presented by Hasbro's Trivial Pursuit, the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit – including the Fan Art Gallery, the D23 Expo Live Auction and the D23 Expo Dream Store. Additional schedule, pavilion and talent announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

Tickets to the D23 EXPO are available at D23Expo.com. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO, including the Disney Legends Ceremony, and can be purchased for single days or for the full three days of festivities. Admission is $47 for a one-day adult ticket and $37 for children 3-12. Three-day passes are $136 for adults and $106 for children. Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will receive a discount for up to four admissions, as well as early entry to each day of the D23 EXPO for themselves and their guests.

Last edited by TheButcher on Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

Marc Graser & Justin Kroll wrote:Writing duo David Elliot and Paul Lovett ("G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra") are the latest scribes to tackle a project that explores the world of gargoyles at Disney.

The two, whose credits also include Paramount's "Four Brothers," pitched an original take to the Mouse House that the studio is keen on exploring as a live action film. Lauren Shuler Donner (the "X-Men" franchise) will produce.

The project is not tied to "Gargoyles," the popular animated TV series that Disney produced in the 1990s. Instead, it centers on a world in which the stony statues on buildings come to life. Elliot and Lovett would portray them as guardian angels for the cities in which they reside.

Zoe Green had previously been developing an idea with Lauren Shuler and Disney exec LouAnne Brickhouse, who is shepherding the project at the studio.

Project is being eyed as one that could turn into franchises at the megaplex -- but also spin off a line of popular videogames, merchandise, TV shows and theme park rides, as well.

Dawn C. Chmielewski and Geoff Boucher wrote:Marvel’s muscle-bound superheroes will join Mickey Mouse, Kermit the Frog and new characters from Pixar Animation this weekend for the Walt Disney Co.’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, marking the first time the company will attempt to bring together fans of the comic book world and devotees of other parts of its corporate kingdom.

The three-day consumer event at the Anaheim Convention Center, which begins Friday, will feature star-studded panel discussions, presentations on theme park attractions and first-look footage from upcoming films and TV shows, a formula borrowed from Comic-Con International, the annual San Diego pop-culture extravaganza. Disney used that template for its first D23 Expo in September 2009, the same year that the company bought Marvel Entertainment for $4.24 billion. Now, for this second edition, Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Captain America will be part of the presentations.

The first D23 Expo (the name alludes to 1923, when Walt Disney arrived in Southern California) was far smaller than Comic-Con — Disney officials put the attendance at 40,000, although some insiders say it was barely half that number. But this time around, the growth of the namesake D23 fan club and wider public awareness of the event have set the stage for a bigger turnout. Steven Clark, the head of the D23 club, said that tickets — which cost $47 for adults and $37 for children each day — have been sold in 48 states and 19 countries.

Many attendees are bringing their youngsters to see live appearances and performances by the Disney Channel stars, or to check out the merchant area where new collectibles, vintage rarities and trading pins will have die-hard Disney lovers reaching for their wallets. Amid the Disney princesses and cartoon figures, the presence of Marvel characters may appear incongruous.

“The question is: Will people go out of their way to go to D23 to see Marvel, and no other comic book brand or products? I don’t know,” said Rich Johnston, founder of Bleeding Cool, a British website that covers the comic book industry. “Will Marvel’s presence appeal to Disney’s traditional fans? I will be very interested to see how it goes.”

There has been considerable angst among Marvel insiders and fans about how the spiky, outsider ethos of “the House of Ideas,” as the comic book company has been called, would mesh with Disney’s orientation toward families — after all, the razor-clawed mutant Wolverine seems to appeal to a very different demographic than the Little Mermaid. This weekend may provide clues of how well Disney can meld the hybrid cultures, as Marvel’s chief creative officer, Joe Quesada, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige appear alongside Disney executives.

Marvel Studios was notably absent from Comic-Con‘s Hall H this year, and the industry perception is that Disney was holding back some sizzle for its own event. On Saturday, at the midmorning preview of upcoming Disney releases such as “John Carter” and “Oz the Great and Powerful,” Feige will join Walt Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross to preview “The Avengers.” The May 2012 release will be the first Marvel film to fly under the Disney banner, after the studio’s other films, including “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Thor” and “Iron Man 2,” were distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Disney scooped up Marvel precisely because its characters and stories appeal to an audience that has proved elusive for the Burbank entertainment conglomerate: young men. The prospect of adding Thor, the prince of Asgard, to a toy shelf packed with pink-hued properties is the ambition behind the deal.

“Disney sees Marvel as a way of getting the princes,” said Henry Jenkins, a media scholar at USC. “They need Prince Namor, and the other princes Marvel owns, to complement the Disney princesses.”

Disney considers D23 a ripe opportunity to introduce Marvel to its most ardent fans. Quesada will even host an introductory course on Marvel, tracing its history from its origins in 1939 as Timely Comics.

“It’s like, ‘Hey, we’re really thrilled to be with the family, we can’t wait to get to know you guys and we want you guys to know us,’” said Quesada. “This is such a wonderfully Disney-centric event and there will be many fans there who aren’t really aware of who we are, our characters and our history.”

Marvel comics may benefit from exposure to Disney’s broader audience and large retail footprint, including stores and theme parks. Although comic-book-inspired movies often perform well at the box office, comic book sales continue to languish. Hot-selling titles seldom exceed 100,000 copies a month, with individual sales declining over time, said Laura Hudson, editor in chief of Comics Alliance, a comic book news website.

“That’s something comics have been struggling with for a long time,” she added. “It’s a niche product in a lot of ways.”

One key difference between Marvel and Disney is the degree of consistency of their characters’ stories across multiple platforms, from films to TV and books.

Jeff Gomez, chief executive of Starlight Runner Entertainment Inc., a company that has worked with Disney and other firms on such issues, said Marvel has reinterpreted some of its most popular characters in multiple ways, making it hard, say, for a child who loves Hugh Jackman’s film portrayal of the Wolverine character to get the identical experience in comics books, on TV or online.

“There are five or six different Wolverine characters: the comic book version, the cartoon version, the movie version, the alternate universe comic book version,” Gomez said. “That’s the challenge Disney’s going to face.”

Why does Johnny Depp continue to make Pirates of the Caribbean movies? Is it for love of the character, or the desire to tell more stories in that world? Well ... "Basically, if they're going to pay me the stupid money right now, I'm going to take it," Depp admits in the new issue of Vanity Fair. "I have to. I mean, it's not for me. Do you know what I mean? At this point, it's for my kids. It's ridiculous, yeah, yeah. But ultimately is it for me? No. No. It's for the kids." In fact, Depp has always been friendly to easy money, and he says that back when he first started out in Los Angeles, he attended Scientology study groups simply because they paid $3 per meeting. "I went to a bunch, man. It was so great, it was so fantastic." The things our movie stars used to do for money (or sandwiches)! [VF]

NIKKI FINKE wrote:BREAKING NEWS… After more than a year and half in the job, and speculation since her arrival that she was going to be canned, I can confirm that MT Carney is officially out as President of Worldwide Marketing at Walt Disney Studios. Don’t expect an announcement until this week. Disney is locked down right now about Carney’s status. Of course my sources are claiming it has nothing to do with a very negative story about Carney in tomorrow’s New York Times – headlined “A Disney Marketer’s Downfall”. The 42-year-old Carney was handplucked by studio chief Rich Ross despite her having no movie biz experience. (Instead she had experienced in promoting packaged goods. “But a movie is not like a Honda,” one marketing guru reminds me just now.) You can argue that the knives were out from Day One by Hollywood’s incestuous marketing community that doesn’t want outsiders to succeed on their turf. You can argue that Carney did in herself with moronic pronouncements, an unwillingness to learn, and an eagerness to outsource. (Which is why she quickly earned the nickname ‘Empty Carney’.) The timing of Carney’s exit, though long speculated about, was kept so secret that my news caught Disney staff by surprise.

One veteran movie marketer tells me about Carney’s exit that the problem was more about what Carney didn’t do than what she did. “She didnt do anything. She farmed out Pirates Of The Caribbean 4. Stacey and Steven have their own separate Disney marketing team for DreamWorks. There’s a separate team for Disney’s animation group. And then Paramount did the last two Marvel movies.” Carney’s exit comes at a time when Disney will start marketing future Marvel films, Pixar has major releases on the horizon like Brave, DreamWorks is filling the pipeline, and Rich Ross’s studio has some very big-budget bets ahead like John Carter. One source tells me it was Carney’s idea to drop the “Of Mars” from the title of John Carter. “It’s based on a big geek book. You are taking a piece of very well known classic source material and taking the marketing hook out of it. It’s like putting it through the deflavorizer. It’s like a perfect microcosm of what went wrong.”

The Scottish-born co-founder and owner of Naked Communications, a NYC-based media planning and strategy firm, was also a former Ogilvy worldwide planning director from 2003-2006. Her appointment followed an exhaustive 5-months-long search. (See my previous, Disney Picks Movie Marketing Chief (Her Motto? “The Agency Model Stripped Naked”) My sources claim that Carney told Disney over the summer she wanted to leave the job and go back to NYC where her young kids have remained and where she has flown every Friday from LA. Now she’ll return to the NYC marketing agency world she left. But the fact is that Disney began looking for her replacement some time ago.